Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs

Ukrainian pilots are calling the US Air Force for tips on using US-made missiles and bombs

For 13 months, US airmen have been advising Ukrainian aircrews on how to operate against Russian forces and use US-made weapons.

Since Russia attacked Ukraine last year, US airmen have been on the phone with their Ukrainian counterparts, discussing ways to operate against Russian forces and how to use US-made weapons, US Air Force officials said this month.

While Russia has some aerial advantages, both sides have effective air-defense systems that have kept the other from gaining air superiority, but Ukraine's air force continues to receive US-made weapons that allow it to strike valuable targets.

As with other US-made hardware, those weapons come with constant US support, according to Lt. Gen. Michael Loh, director of the US Air National Guard.

It started out as "here's what you need to do to survive the initial attack" and has evolved to "here's how you can continue to deliver airpower," Loh told reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association symposium on March 8.

Ukrainian and US personnel during exercise Safe Skies in July 2011.


Much of the support comes from the California National Guard, which has worked with Ukraine since 1993 as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

That relationship has "allowed a Ukrainian soldier to pick up the phone to say, 'Hey, I'm having a problem with this weapon system' to somebody who actually trained them and solve a problem on the ground," Loh said in response to a question from Insider.

US airmen have advised Ukrainians on conducting agile combat employment, the US Air Force's concept for dispersed operations, and on using US-made weapons, including the AGM-88, a high-speed anti-radiation missile provided last year to target Russian radars, and guidance kits, called JDAMs, that allow bombs to glide farther.

"We're continuing to provide them the tactics, techniques, and procedures for things like agile combat employment [and] new weapons systems, as you've seen in the press lately — 'how do I use a Glide JDAM' and some of those things," Loh said. "It was HARMs before that. So that has continued over this last 13 months of conflict."

Ukraine's air force still faces a tough operating environment. Ukrainian air-defense systems, ranging from Cold War-era cannons to sophisticated guided missiles, have helped keep Russian aircraft at bay and defended Ukrainian infrastructure from Russia's missile and drone attacks, but Russia also fields highly effective air-defense systems, which along with long-range sensors and missiles on Russian aircraft hinder Ukrainian jets' ability to operate effectively near the front lines.

A California Air National Guard officer discusses exercise Safe Skies with his Ukrainian counterparts in July 2011.


The US estimates that Russian forces have downed more than 60 Ukrainian aircraft and that Ukrainian forces have downed more than 70 Russian aircraft, according to Gen. James Hecker, head of US Air Forces in Europe.

"Both of their integrated air and missile defenses, especially when you're talking about going against aircraft, have been very effective, and that's why they're not flying over one another's country," Hecker said at the symposium on March 6.

Ukraine has been able to mount limited aerial attacks against Russian forces, including some high-profile attacks far behind Russian lines, usually with drone aircraft.

US-made HARM missiles, which US engineers scrambled to adapt for use on Ukraine's Soviet-designed MiG-29s and Su-27s in just two months, have helped with attacks on fixed targets, like air-defense systems, though both sides are "getting very good at taking these typically fixed sites and being able to move them, quite often in little time," Hecker told reporters.

A Ukrainian MiG-29 armed with a US-made AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile.


"We've just got them some precision munitions that have some extended range and go a little bit further than a gravity-dropped bomb," Hecker added. "That's a recent capability that we were able to give them, probably in the last three weeks."

Hecker appeared to be referring to the extended range JDAM, which uses wings and a GPS kit mounted on an unguided bomb to enable it to reach targets up to 45 miles away.

With its current capabilities, Ukraine's air force is able to do "a couple of strikes a day" at ranges "a little bit farther than HIMARS can get right now, but not real far out at all," Hecker said.

While discussion of future Western military aid to Ukraine has focused on fighter jets, officials and experts say artillery and air-defense weapons remain the highest priority ahead of increased fighting in the spring and summer.

Russia's frequent air attacks have taxed Ukraine's supply of interceptor missiles. Countries at the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in January pledged to provide more of those missiles, and Ukraine is now "sitting in a pretty good place," Hecker added. "If they run out, then it's going to be very difficult for the Ukrainians to protect what they have right now."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×